We already knew that Brian Dawkins was among the NFL’s most respected players. But just how much current and former players, as well as media folks nationwide, respect the now former Broncos safety became clear today after Dawkins announced his retirement after 16 years. He played his first 13 years in Philadelphia, and has been a Bronco since 2009.

Here’s a sampling of posts from Twitter today after Dawkins’ announcement:

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.